Man says he was carjacked, beaten by three men

The plan was for Steven Pinex of Gary to drive his girlfriend’s Cadillac Escalade to her house, but neither he nor the Caddy made it.

Pinex, 43, told Lafayette police that he was carjacked in Gary by three men, and they forced him to drive to Indianapolis on Interstate 65, but somewhere near Lafayette, the three men started beating him. Pinex said he lost control of the sports utility vehicle and it drove into a ditch. It was then that he said he escaped the carjackers, who drove away with his girlfriend’s Escalade.

Pinex showed up around 3 a.m. Thursday at the Speedway gas station on South Street near the interstate, according to police. He was bleeding from his face and had other injuries, police said. He was taken to IU Arnett Hospital for treatment, according to police.

Lafayette police took Pinex’s report, but since the crime started in Gary, the report is only to document what Pinex said happened.

Police also drove along the interstate looking for any signs — tire tracks in the grass or churned up sod — that might indicate a car had driven into a ditch, but they could find nothing that pointed to a recent wreck.